Stepping Stones

GET YOUR STABLE ISOTOPE ANALYSIS FOR FREE!
Next round will open 1^st of March 2026

• You are an early career researcher and interested in the application of stable isotopes?
• You have a new idea that you want to test?
• You need preliminary data for a research proposal?
• You want to get a first proof of a concept?
• You need some supporting data for a publication?

The Bayreuth Center of Stable Isotope Research in Ecology and Biogeochemistry (BayCenSI) offers innovative and sophisticated stable isotope analytics to local, national, and international researchers. Our expertise lies in the area of ecosystem ecology, spanning plants, microbes, soil, water, and interactions within.

The BayCenSI Stepping Stones funding allows access to the facility and its instruments free of charge.

Target groups and purposes:

• Obtain preliminary results for funding proposals of early career researchers.
• Experiment with new and innovative ideas. 
• Technical developments in stable isotope research. 
• Foster interdisciplinary and international collaborations. 

Financial support will include:

• Development, preparation, and interpretation of results.
• Up to 120 samples/analysis per project.
• 6-10 projects per year.
• Not for travel, hotel, and subsistence expenses!

Access to the core facility will be organized through a transparent selection process based on the scientific quality and feasibility of the project. We recommend getting in touch with BayCenSI experts for project planning and to discuss the feasibility of your project before submission (https://www.censi.uni-bayreuth.de/en/people/index.php). The steering committee will be responsible for the selection. A competitive selection process will choose up to 10 outstanding projects, from the pool of submitted projects. Applications must be submitted online (see below).

Application procedure:

• Submission of an abstract explaining the isotope project (max. 3000 characters, max. 2 figures)
• Deadline for submitting an abstract: 31.03.2026 23:59 CET
• Level: Ph.D. students and postdoctoral researchers (up to 5 years after the PhD defense)

The decision will be made by the end of May 2026. The time slots for your project/measurement will be made individually.

We are looking forward to your application via the registration.